About Us
The Art Fair SourceBook (AFSB) is dedicated to providing an independent, comprehensive resource for artists and artisans. Our goal is to empower them to confidently and effectively choose events that are most likely to maximize their profits.
Additionally, we work closely with art fair and craft show organizers to help them attract top professional artists. We offer suggestions for potential improvements based on extensive feedback from exhibitors, ensuring their shows achieve the highest possible standards.
Who Are We?
Wendy and Peter have a deep understanding of the art fair community and a forward-thinking approach to further enrich AFSB. Peter is a seasoned exhibitor who has successfully used The SourceBook for years. The information and tools provided by the Art Fair SourceBook (AFSB) have played a vital role in shaping his success within the art fair community while doing shows from Key West to Salt Lake City. One of the consistent themes he's encountered along the way is other artists asking about how to find new shows. "What are the good shows?", or "Are there any good shows in...?", and that's where AFSB can be invaluable to artists.
Throughout his journey on “The Circuit,” Wendy has been by his side, traveling to shows and assisting with the organizational aspects of his business. She has a background in business development, operations, and community-driven initiatives.
Wendy and Peter are honored to be the new stewards of the Art Fair SourceBook. They are fully committed to preserving AFSB's integrity, building upon the strong foundations that have been established, and advancing AFSB's mission to provide empowering tools for working artists.
How did the SourceBook get started?
One day in the early 90s, Greg Lawler woke up, rolled out of bed, and once again faced the mountain of applications from numerous art fairs that he believed showed potential. The overwhelming paperwork made him want to crawl back into bed, pull the covers over his head, and let someone else handle the deluge. But with a hungry family of five to feed, he knew that option was off the table. He would have to push through the information overload himself.
Greg understood that he wouldn't be able to participate in all those shows, nor would he ever want to. The critical question was which shows would be the most profitable and best suited for selling his work. On that bleak December morning—before even having his first cup of coffee—he decided to take on the challenge of researching, analyzing, and organizing the vital information about the complex world of art fairs, often referred to as "The Circuit."
As a means of self-preservation, he created his own guide. Years later, he was grateful he did. As an artist and fellow exhibitor, he benefitted immensely from the SourceBook throughout his years of exhibiting, and so can you. To date, more than 20,000 artists have subscribed to the SourceBook over the years and gained from its unique approach. Thanks to this powerful tool, you will be better prepared to navigate the sea of applications, allowing you to select only the best events for your specific style of creative work, saving you valuable time, increasing your earnings, and paving a smoother path to your success as an independent artist.
Greg decided to retire in 2025. After years of helping countless artists, he was pleased to discover that others were interested in continuing his mission, ensuring that artists and artisans across the country could keep benefiting from the AFSB.
Who is Greg Lawler?
Since 1993, GREG LAWLER has authored the most comprehensive guide to juried fine art and crafts shows on the planet.
The Art Fair SourceBook was born out of necessity, created by a weary, itinerant artist who was tired of wasting valuable time, money and energy on unprofitable art fairs, and missing the deadlines for some of the most profitable ones.
First created as a personal road map, the SourceBook soon took on a life of its own. Now after 32 years of publication, Greg Lawler's Art Fair SourceBook™ is frequently referred to as the "bible of the industry". You won't find a more thoroughly researched, up-to-date or easy-to-use source anywhere. It's the ONLY guide written from an exhibitor's perspective, by a fellow exhibiting artist who's still in the trenches with you.
Since beginning to show his photography at art fairs in late 1990, Greg has exhibited at over 500 events nationwide. He has tried out nearly every type of event, big and small, distinguished and highly renowned, as well as virtually unheard of. Along the way, Greg quickly learned that not all shows are created equal, and that it's essential to an artist's survival to quickly figure out which shows are most likely to work for them, and which will likely be wheel-spinners, or worse.
What is the Art Fair SourceBook?
The SourceBook is the most comprehensive guide to the top-selling art fairs and craft shows in the USA. As a subscriber, you will have access to more information about each event before applying than anyone who isn’t a subscriber. You'll discover the best booth locations, strategies to make setup and takedown easier, whether generators will be available at a show, how many artists applied last year, and how many spaces were available outside of the jury process.
The SourceBook offers an extensive online review of events, providing several key advantages. You can scroll through an unlimited number of web pages to find more information than any other source offers.
Additionally, the resource is instantly updatable. We can refresh the information in real-time. For example, if an event organizer changes their show dates or application deadlines, our online format allows us to immediately update the database that subscribers see.
We also have plans to further develop the value added of AFSB to its subscribers with the goal of helping new artists who are starting out and seasoned artists looking to expand and hone in their seasonal calendar.
How does the SourceBook do all this?
For over 32 years, the SourceBook has collected extensive data on sales and anecdotal evidence from exhibitors at more than 1,000 art fairs and craft shows across the country. This information is gathered through our AFSB Exhibitor Feedback emails and online submissions on our website. Greg has personally visited over 800 events throughout the years, and Pete will continue to do so each year.
Wendy and Pete analyze this information and present their findings to subscribers in the annual "Editor's Commentary" on each of the shows in our "Top 600 Events" list. This is a daunting task involving hundreds of hours of reading and summarizing thousands of reports from artists like you. By drawing from a vast pool of exhibitors' feedback, we gain valuable insights into today's art fair marketplace.
After more than 32 years, why is the SourceBook still relevant?
With the rise of the internet and digital application systems such as Zapplication, JAS, and EntryThingy, applying to shows has become much easier. However, this ease also means that it's simpler to waste money on events that might be listed among the top shows but don't actually offer a good sales potential for you. If you apply to shows merely because they appear on those lists, you might be risking thousands of dollars unnecessarily and valuable time lost.
The core issue remains: how do we select the events most likely to be profitable and worth a significant investment of time and money while avoiding those that may not yield returns? Although there are thousands of events available online, making informed choices between the successful and unsuccessful ones can only come from the independent research provided by the SourceBook.
AFSB Team
Wendy Mignone: Along with Pete, she leads the operations and production of AFSB from her home in Florida during most of the year, and from the road when she joins Pete exhibiting his artwork. In addition, she facilitates marketing and communications and provides software support to the rest of the team.
Peter Mignone Along with Wendy, he assists with the operations and production of AFSB from either his home in Florida or from the road while exhibiting his artwork. He relies on each events’ exhibitors to keep him up-to-date on how each show is doing each year. This is how he learns the good, the bad, and the ugly about the shows on the SourceBook's list.
Ken Feierstein Designs, develops, and manages the AFSB website and manages access to the AFSB online databases.
We Try Hardest -- Your Feedback and Suggestions are Welcome
Our goal is to provide the ultimate guide to the best-selling juried art and craft shows nationwide. We are always trying to make improvements.
If you have suggestions, please feel free to share them with us by completing a Contact Us Form or call Wendy at 904-746-1740. In the meantime, we'll keep working to produce the very best Art Fair SourceBooks ever.
I trust that this "About Us" page has given you a sense of who we are, what we offer the independent artist searching for information about shows, suppliers and fellow artists, and ultimately helps you succeed in this highly competitive arena we call "The Art Fair Circuit."
Best wishes and see you out there,
Wendy Mignone, Editor and Publisher
